23 Things to Do With a Thumb Drive

Safe From Prying Eyes

The SanDisk Cruzer Profile's fingerprint scanner.The SanDisk Cruzer Profile's fingerprint scanner.The encryption and biometric safeguards on these security-first drives offer some peace of mind when you need to carry sensitive data on an easy-to-misplace thumb drive.

Built-in tools on drives like the Lexar JumpDrive Secure II 1GB ($100) and the Kingston DataTraveler Elite 1GB ($100) let you defend individual files with 256-bit AES encryption. You can also create a partition on the drive that encrypts any file dropped into it and that appears on screen under a different drive letter. And you can password-protect any U3 drive to achieve a base level of protection.

When security really matters, check out a thumb drive with a built-in fingerprint scanner. It works much like any biometric device, locking out access until you swipe the appropriate digit against it.

Itty-Bitty Linux

A bootable Linux thumb drive allows you to tinker with the popular open-source operating system without having to risk modifying your hard drive.

The easiest option is to buy a drive with Linux already installed. The most established version is Damn Small Linux, which comes preinstalled on a 256MB drive for $60. If you want to try installing the OS yourself, download Damn Small Linux from the same Web site, or check out Puppy Linux. Both OS versions include a bevy of productivity applications--and both, of course, are free.